Graham Harris’ quest to replace an ageing bar-fed lathe with a like-for-like replacement took a new twist when he saw a gantry-loaded Takisawa Japan turning centre being demonstrated by T W Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC).

While he was suitably impressed with the machine’s billet handling capabilities, he didn’t want to forego bar-fed work since around 85 per cent of the throughput is derived from bar at his company, precision machinist Harris RCS.

So, Ward CNC simply modified the machine so that it could process both bar and billet work – with the result that the Takisawa Japan TCC-2000GAL3 single-spindle turning centre is now successfully machining a range of parts at the long-established company based in Coventry.

Mr Harris explains: “With a number of other Ward CNC-supplied/supported machines onsite – Hyundai Kia lathes and vertical drilling and tapping centres - I am, of course, fully conversant with Ward CNC’s service and back up, and when looking to update one of our older bar-fed lathes I obviously opened discussions with Ward CNC.

“I was impressed with the Takisawa Japan machine and its automatic billet loading but, because much of our work is from bar, I hesitated about investing a machine which on that basis, might have stood idle for much of the time. That dilemma was immediately resolved when Ward CNC offered to modify the machine, using a Hydrafeed MV65 short magazine system, and adapt it for bar work, too.”

The 3,200 revs/min (11 kW motor) machine with 12-station tool turret has 225 mm between spindles and a maximum turning diameter and length of 350 mm and 201 mm, respectively. It features 24 m/min rapids in both X and Z axes. With eight inch chuck, the loader can handle billets of 160 mm diameter by 100 mm long; bar up to 65 mm diameter can be accommodated.

“The result is that we now have ultra-flexibility in our turned-milled production, and the machine is proving the ideal complement to our comprehensive capacity list,” says Mr Harris.

These machines are used to supply a wide variety of components in stainless and general steels, exotic alloys, plastics and aluminium to customers in a wide range of industry sectors, including defence, automotive, electronic and aviation – indeed, the company enjoys Preferred Supplier status to Dunlop Aerospace.

A regular programme of investment in the latest machining technology is just one element of Harris RCS’s forward-thinking and progressiveness. For example, the company boasts online integrated management systems incorporating quality, environmental and health & safety systems, plus web-based training for its staff, all underpinned by accreditation to both ISO 9001 2000 and ISO 14001.